MacFormat UK – September 2019

APPLE SKILLS iOS software

48 | MACFORMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019 macformat.com @macformat

Helpful iOS shortcuts

Some iOS tricks are hard to discover, so here are some choice cuts...

IT WILL TAKE

30 minutes

YOU WILL LEARN

How to find and use

hidden features in iOS

YOU’LL NEED

An iOS 12 device

(some features work

on older versions)

No matter how frequently you

use your iPhone or iPad, it’s

likely that you’ve developed

habitual ways of interacting

with it. And while there’s nothing wrong with

strengthening muscle memory or instinctively

doing what comes naturally, if you never move

beyond your comfort zone, you risk missing

out on slicker, faster and more productive

ways of working.

Many of these features are things you

may never have thought of, while others are

possibly things you wish you could do with

your iPhone, but never thought possible,

because the interface has concealed them just

well enough that you don’t stumble on them or

you can’t find them in the expected places.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you where to

find these features, how to use them and,

hopefully, in the process, make using your

iPhone or iPad more fun and more fruitful.

Note that some of them only work in iOS 12,

which is another reason to upgrade if you can

and haven’t done so already. Kenny Hemphill

HOW TO Save time with iOS shortcuts

1

Instantly scroll to the top

This one’s great for web pages and

social media feeds, and works in apps like

Tweetbot. If you’ve scrolled down a page,

just tap the top-centre of the screen or

column and watch as the view scrolls

quickly back to the very top.

2

Earbuds’ shutter release

Here’s a good reason to take your

Apple headphones out of the box and

plug them in. To take a photo, press the

inline remote’s centre button. This helps

reduce shake – in low light, say – caused

by tapping your iPhone.

3

Tap the current tab

This one works differently between

apps. In Photos’ Album view, tapping the

Album tab takes you to the bottom; in

Facebook’s timeline, tapping the Timeline

tab refreshes its contents. Try it in your

favourite apps to see what happens.